Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, September 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Chinese NCV (Simplified)

使徒行传 3:12

彼得看見了,就對群眾說:“以色列人哪,為甚麼因這事希奇呢?為甚麼瞪著我們,好像我們是憑著自己的能力和虔誠,使這人行走呢?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Courage;   Humility;   Minister, Christian;   Miracles;   Temple;   Zeal, Religious;   Scofield Reference Index - Miracles;   Thompson Chain Reference - Opportunity;   Seizing Opportunities;   The Topic Concordance - Faith/faithfulness;   Healing;   Witness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Miracles;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Apostle;   Gospel;   Peter;   Power;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Godly, Godliness;   Time;   Touch;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Joseph;   Peter, the Epistles of;   Sadducees;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Godliness;   Piety;   Power;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Mark, Gospel According to;   Thessalonians, Second Epistle to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Astonishment, Astonished;   Christ, Christology;   Gestures;   Godliness;   Israel;   Perseverance;   Peter;   Temple (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Godliness;   Piety;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Hour;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Build;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Virtue;  

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
彼 得 看 见 , 就 对 百 姓 说 : 以 色 列 人 哪 , 为 甚 麽 把 这 事 当 作 希 奇 呢 ? 为 甚 麽 定 睛 看 我 们 , 以 为 我 们 凭 自 己 的 能 力 和 虔 诚 使 这 人 行 走 呢 ?

Contextual Overview

12 When Peter saw this, he said to them, "People of Israel, why are you surprised? You are looking at us as if it were our own power or goodness that made this man walk. 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, gave glory to Jesus, his servant. But you handed him over to be killed. Pilate decided to let him go free, but you told Pilate you did not want Jesus. 14 You did not want the One who is holy and good but asked Pilate to give you a murderer instead. 15 And so you killed the One who gives life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses to this. 16 It was faith in Jesus that made this crippled man well. You can see this man, and you know him. He was made completely well because of trust in Jesus, and you all saw it happen! 17 "Brothers and sisters, I know you did those things to Jesus because neither you nor your leaders understood what you were doing. 18 God said through the prophets that his Christ would suffer and die. And now God has made these things come true in this way. 19 So you must change your hearts and lives! Come back to God, and he will forgive your sins. Then the Lord will send the time of rest. 20 And he will send Jesus, the One he chose to be the Christ. 21 But Jesus must stay in heaven until the time comes when all things will be made right again. God told about this time long ago when he spoke through his holy prophets.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ye men: Acts 2:22, Acts 13:26, Romans 9:4, Romans 11:1

or: Acts 10:25, Acts 10:26, Acts 14:11-15, Genesis 40:8, Genesis 41:16, Daniel 2:28-30, John 3:27, John 3:28, John 7:18

as: 2 Corinthians 3:5

Reciprocal: Numbers 20:10 - we fetch 2 Kings 2:14 - smote Daniel 2:30 - this secret Mark 12:11 - General Mark 16:18 - they shall lay Luke 4:20 - And the John 1:16 - of his John 5:28 - Marvel John 11:43 - Lazarus Acts 1:11 - why Acts 3:4 - Look Acts 9:34 - Jesus Christ Acts 13:16 - Men Acts 14:15 - We also 2 Corinthians 4:5 - we Galatians 2:8 - he 1 John 3:13 - Marvel not Revelation 19:10 - for the

Cross-References

Genesis 2:18
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him."
Genesis 2:20
The man gave names to all the tame animals, to the birds in the sky, and to all the wild animals. But Adam did not find a helper that was right for him.
Genesis 2:22
The Lord God used the rib from the man to make a woman, and then he brought the woman to the man.
Genesis 3:13
Then the Lord God said to the woman, "How could you have done such a thing?" She answered, "The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit."
Genesis 3:15
I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. One of her descendants will crush your head, and you will bite his heel."
Genesis 3:20
The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.
Genesis 3:21
The Lord God made clothes from animal skins for the man and his wife and dressed them.
Genesis 3:24
After God forced humans out of the garden, he placed angels and a sword of fire that flashed around in every direction on its eastern border. This kept people from getting to the tree of life.
Job 31:33
I have not hidden my sin as others do, secretly keeping my guilt to myself.
Proverbs 19:3
People's own foolishness ruins their lives, but in their minds they blame the Lord .

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when Peter saw it,.... That the people ran to them, and looked wistly upon them, and wondered at what was done:

he answered unto the people, ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? either at this man, who was cured of his lameness, or at the cure itself:

or why look ye so earnestly on us; suggesting, that they ought to look to God, and observe his divine power, and to the Lord Jesus Christ, whom they had crucified, whose apostles they were, and in whose name, and by whose power they had wrought this miracle; which shows that they were not self-seeking and vain glorious men, but discovers great sincerity and integrity, much love to Christ, and great regard to his honour, and to the glory of God:

as though by our own power and holiness we had made this man to walk? as if it was any natural power of theirs; or for any merit of theirs, because of their strict religion and piety; or "laudable conversation", as the Arabic version; because they were mightier in themselves and holier than others, that they had such a faculty of curing lame persons; all which they utterly reject, and place it to a right account in the next verse. Instead of "holiness", the Syriac version reads "authority"; and to the same, or like sense, the Vulgate Latin, which seems most agreeable.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

When Peter saw it - Saw the people assembling in such multitudes and wondering at the miracle.

He answered - The word “answer,” with us, implies that a question had been asked, or that some subject had been proposed for consideration. But the word is used in a different sense in the Bible. It is often used when no question was asked, but when an occasion was offered for remarks, or when an opportunity was presented to make a statement. It is the same as replying to a thing, or making a statement in regard to some subject, Daniel 2:26; Acts 5:8.

Ye men of Israel - Jews. Compare Acts 2:14.

Why marvel ye at this? - The particular thing which he intended to reprove here was not that they wondered, for that was proper; but that they looked on himself and John as if they had been the authors of this healing. They ought to have understood it. The Jews were sufficiently acquainted with miracles to interpret them and to know whence they proceeded; and they ought not, therefore, to ascribe them to man, but to inquire why they had been performed by God.

Why look ye ... - Why do ye fix the eyes with amazement on us, as though we could do this? Why not look at once to God?

By our own power - By any art of healing or by any medicine we had done this.

Or holiness - Piety. As if God had bestowed this on us on account of our personal and eminent piety. It may be remarked that here was ample opportunity for them to establish a reputation of their own. The people were disposed to pay them honor; they might at once have laid claim to vast authority over them; but they refused all such personal honor, and ascribed all to the Lord Jesus. Whatever success may attend the ministers of the gospel, or however much the world may be disposed to do them honor, they should disclaim all power in themselves, and ascribe it to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not by the talents or personal holiness of ministers, valuable as these are, that people are saved; it is only by the power of God, designed to honor his Son. See 2 Corinthians 3:5-6.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 3:12. As though by our own power — δυναμει, Miraculous energy.

Or holiness — Η ευσεβεια, Meaning religious attachment to the worship of God. Do not think that we have wrought this miracle by any power of our own; or that any supereminent piety in us should have induced God thus to honour us, by enabling us to work it. Instead of ευσεβεια, holiness, the Syriac of Erpen, Armenian, Vulgate, and some copies of the Itala, have εξουσια, power or authority; but the first appears to be the legitimate reading.


 
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